If there is one thing everyone knows about Canadians, it is that they love their hockey! Before you head to the country that boasts the title of inventor of the sport, you should brush up on your hockey jargon and learn a few key ice hockey terms.

Hockey, noun; a sport on ice in which two teams battle it out to get the puck into their opponents net using only a wooden stick.

Puck, noun; a solid black plastic, cylindrically shaped item used as the scoring object in hockey.

Icing, verb; when the puck is shot from one end of the rink to the other, crossing all three center lines with no recipient

Off-sides, verb; when an offensive player is in front of the puck in the movement toward their scoring goal

Check, verb; any of several maneuvers designed to obstruct or impede the forward movement of an opponent; different types of checks include board checks (using one's body to force opponent into the boards), cross-check (using your stick across the body of your opponent) and body check, among others, all with the same intent

High Stick, verb; any stick held above shoulder level is considered a 'high stick', however, the term "High sticking" is used to refer to a player who hits his opponent at shoulder level or above with a stick.

Gloves off, phrase; meaning that one or more players have taken their gloves off in order to better fight another player.

Slashing, verb; intentionally hitting an opponent's arms or lower body with the stick; a foul for which a penalty is usually incurred

Penalty Box, noun; an area off the ice where players who have received penalties must sit out from the game for two minutes, leaving their team one player short on the ice. Also known as 'The Box' or 'Sin Bin'.

Hat Trick, noun; three consecutive goals, may be scored by the same player.
Side note: If a player or team has two goals, never say the words 'hat trick' or imply it in any way. This is a common hockey superstition and will lead to the loss of the hat trick. This is also true with 'over time' or 'shoot out'.

To learn more about hockey terms, check out this hilarious informative clip from the movie, Slap Shot. If you're interested in a film that will have you rolling on the floor with laughter teach you a little more about hockey, I would highly recommend it.